Gluten-free Stuffed Acorn Squash

What ingredients you need to make stuffed acorn squashes:

• Small acorn squash – I like to wash mine before roasting then remove the ends from each side
• Quinoa – you could also use farro if not gluten-free or rice too
• Chicken broth – or use a vegetable broth if you prefer
• Sweet Italian sausage – or if you want a kick to it, you can use a spicy sausage
• Yellow onion – or a sweet white onion works too
• Celery – I like adding this in with the carrots and onions
• Carrot – large carrots or small, chopped up!
• Tuscan kale – stems removed and chopped or you can use spinach for another leafy green

How to make stuffed acorn squashes with sausage and veggies:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and cut each end off of the squash
2. Use a spoon to remove seeds and brush all over with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper
3. Roast until tender, about 30-35 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the quinoa by following instructions on package and begin making the sausage filling by heating a large skillet with oil over medium heat and add sausage and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes
5. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon onto a paper-towel lined plate to absorb grease
6. Discard the grease from the skillet and add onion, garlic, carrot and celery and cook until soft then add sausage back in with the kale and cook on medium low heat, stirring frequently until kale is wilted a bit and remove from heat
7. Add cooked quinoa to the sausage mixture then fill each acorn squash with the mixture (if you have leftover sausage mixture you can enjoy as it’s own dish too)
8. Enjoy while warm! I like to top mine off with grated parmesan cheese too.

Tips for success:

• Acorn squash is one of those delicious underrated mildly sweet squashes to make. The flavor is not as bold as other squashes so it is easy to pair with most recipes too!
• The easiest way to cut acorn squash is to trim each end slightly and then spoon the seeds from the center using a knife to cut a circle on the top and spoon from the center. Almost like you are hollowing out the center of the squash. This is where you will stuff the ingredients too
• To know if the squash is done roasting, you should be able to easily stick a fork in it and it should be soft
• You can store these stuffed squashes in the fridge for up to 5 days! I like to reheat in microwave for timeliness.
• I typically use quinoa for this recipe but rice or farro works too. Or you can make it grain-free without adding any!
• Same goes for the meat – sausage is delicious here but if you prefer ground chicken, turkey or beef that works too.

A few other healthy dinner recipes to make:

EASY Sheet Pan Quesadillas

No-Boil Vegetarian Pasta Bake

20-minute Healthy Teriyaki Meatballs

Easy Gluten-free Pasta Primavera Recipe

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